Susan Daniels Poetry

I am tired of differences–
tell me again how this body
is pulled by the moon
in its tides, hormones
alternately softening minds
and sharpening tongues

as if somehow female minds are less
because ovaries steep thoughts in estrogen
until they are pink and sweet, too soft
to spin equations with imaginary numbers

girls do not have days everywhere,
only nights where they wane and wax,
sometimes aberrantly chasing sun in daylight,
anemic silver pressed fainting into blue,
the moon in her cycles and circles a cool mirror
for us, where the sun is male.

before we were moons only Aditi, the light keeper
birthed the universe.  Aine first sparked life.
Akycha was the polar sun who climbed sky after her rape.
Amaterasu still rises, the great shining heaven,
a red circle on a white flag.  Bast was the cat goddess
of sunsets and fertile rays coaxing seed from the earth.
Beiwe poured light like water on growing things
and they reached for her with an intensity like thirst.
Bila the cannibal simmered flesh over her giant flame,
until she was chained to earth and left to tend the sun.
brigid glows in all things fire.  shy Chup-Kamui
traded places with the sun god because
the passion she shone on at night made her blush.
Coyote charmed Hekoolas to light the world.
Pattini radiates the sun’s heat. Olwen rolled in the sky–
a heavy gold wheel.
Saule/Sunna/Sol/Xatel-Ekwa/Wurusemu/Arinna
galloped towards sunset, teaming their horses.
Sekhmet’s hunger was the heat of drought and famine.
Shapash carried light into the land of the dead.
Uelanuhi separated time.
Walo and Wuriupranili walked sky,
arcing over the earth.

before we were made less
the sun could be a goddess
or tend it like a cooking fire
or drive it across the sky

today’s sun is shared
so let the girls stretch to meet it.

it is their day

***my poem for tomorrow–the International Day of the Girl Child.  Thanks to Boomie for critiquing this for me!